not only neglected the care of his kingdom, but ftill more that of his own perfon. It was not without extreine felicity, that the princes, and great officers of his court faw this female attacked by a fever, of which the died, hoping by her death Charles would be more attentive to the government of his ftates; on the contrary, the monarch gave himself up to an exceffive grief, nor would he leave the corpfe, which he continued to embrace, notwithstanding it was already putrid. All the court were so astomished at this monftrous paffion, that Turpin, Archbishop of Rheims, his favourite, took a momentary advantage of his mafter's abfence, to vifit the body. He found concealed, under her tongue, a ring (dear token of Charles's love) which, he removed to her finger. The Emperor, on his return, perceiving this, was convinced of his error; and roufed as from a deep ftupor, he was afhamed of his weakness, and gave orders for the immediate interment of a corpfe which now excited horror. The charm confifted apparently in the ring; and he had no fooner quitted the body than his attention retreated to Archbishop Turpin, with whom he ufually paffed his time. That wife prelate, knowing the value of the ring, and fearing it might fall into the hands of fome one inclined to misuse its favour, ordered it to be thrown into a lake near Aix la Chapelle. But in falling into the water, it did not lose the force of its charms. The Emperor found himself fo attached to the place, that he never after quitted the city of Aix. He built a palace there, in which he died, after having ordained, by will, that all the Roman Emperors fhould be previously crowned at Aix la Chapelle.

SOME writers affert that this prince (Charlemagne) was of great ftature; but I believe (fays Cardinal Perron) his father called him Pippin the fhort, on account of the fhortness of his perfon. We must not eftimate the term great by ell-measure. M. Bertand and I were discourfing,

as

as we paffedthe river Loire, on the boldness of Alexander the Great's paffage over the Indus, a river of so vast a fize. The boatman, who heard our discourse, afked if the perfon we talked of was Alexander the great? On our replying Yes, he obferved it was no wonder, if Alexander was so great a man, that he crossed a river.

THEODERIC, ARCHBISHOP OF COLOGNE.

THIS prelate was illuftrious in his time for his talents, erudition, and morals. One day the Emperor Sigifmond afked of him inftructions to obtain happiness. "We cannot, fire, expect it in this world.""Which then is the way to happinefs here after?"- "You must act virtuously."-" What do you mean by that expreffion?"-"I mean," fays Theoderic, "that you should always purfue that plan of conduct, which you promise to do whilft you are labouring under a fit of the gravel, gout, or ftone."

SIMPLICITY.

GROSS inftances of weaknefs of intellect are ludicrous. A Venetian of moderate understanding mounted his horfe to go into the country. His fervant followed on foot, close behind him. The horfa kicked the valet; who in a paffion flung a stone at him, which ftruck the mafter on the back. The mafter chid the fervant for walking fo flow. "I cannot walk fafter," replied the valet, "for your horfe has given me a kick.". "Ah! a beaft!" replied the mafter: "I will give him his due; for he has juft kicked me on the back."

There is no place where an inftance of this kind of fimplicity appears with lefs propriety than in the pulpit. A prieft at Tivoli was declaiming in his fermon against adultery. "I would rather," fays the indignant preacher, "be connected with ten virgins, than one married woman."

DURING the war, in 1376, between the Pope and Florence, fome troops, headed by Robert Cardinal of Genoa, afterwards Pope, befieged, in 1378, a place where Rodolphus Varan de Camarino had stationed himself, in order to defend the place, and to prevent a fedition. Rodolphus had haraffed the Cardinal by frequent forties and fkirmishes. At length the Cardinal fent a meffage to the General, to demand the reafon why he did not come out and give battle. "My reafon for not coming out," replied Camarino, "is, that my Lord Cardinal may not come in."

HYPOCRISY.

THERE is no man who does not act the hypocrite on fome occafion. The Count Gafpard de Schlick, who had been chancellor to three preceding Emperors, faid to Frederic the Third, that he would inftantly retire from the world, as he faw that it was filled with hypocrites and knaves. "You must then go to fome unknown country," replied Frederick; and yet there will be one hypocrite wherever you refide, unlefs you pretend to be a god, and not a man."

MADMEN.

IN Spain madness is very common; as it is more or lefs in all hot countries. The heat of the climate affe&ts the brain, by drying it up. A Spanish Ambaffador, going on his miffion to Africa, lodged in his way at a convent in Navarre, where many infane people were accommodated. One perfon, who appeared rational, told the Ambassador that his relations had unjustly fhut him up there, and that their intereft at court had detained him there, though he had given feveral proofs of a found mind; and begged his grace to apply to the king for his releafe. The Ambaffador pitied the man, really judging him to be ill ufed; and promifed him to apply to his Majefty, if he would tell him his name. "I am, replied the maniac," the angel

Gabriel,

Gabriel, who carried the meffage from heaven to the Virgin Mary." On his progress, he lodged a fecond time in Grenada, at a monaftery of the fame defcription, and fell into difcourfe with one of the lunatics, whofe ftory was, that he had done eminent fervices to the King of Spain, and that his fon, in order to take poffeffion of his eftate, had confined him among madmen; and he begged his grace, on application to his Majefty, to obtain his release. The ambassador mentioned to him his former commiffion from the angel Gabriel. "Do not mind that fool, my lord; he is a liar for if he had been the angel, I fhould have known it, as I am God the Father himfelf."-Great care fhould be taken to keep madmen from the palaces of kings. Henry the Second's life was attempted by a madman; and Mahomet Bassa, a general of the Turkifh army, was killed by a madman at the head of his troops. Henry IV. ufed to fay very frequently"Protect me from madmen! Men in their fenfes will never do me any harm.".

MONTHLY REVIEW, 1768.

Art. 15. The Cafe of Mr. James Gibson, Attorney at Law. 8vo. Is. Lewis.

THIS unfortunate perfon lately published his cafe, in order to palliate his crime, and excite compaffion.He was condemned at the Old Bailey for a forgery, in January 1767; when a point of law arifing, the verdict was special. Gibfon, therefore remained in Newgate, till the opinion of the Judges was given against him, a few weeks ago; and in pursuance thereof, he was hanged at Tyburn, in March 1768.

This is the fevereft account we have given of any author for a long time paft.-Monthly Review, vol. 38, page 241.

A PARISIAN TRIAL.

PARIS has been amufed by a curious procefs between the beautiful Mademoiselle Lange, the actress, and a

Mr.

Mr. Hoppé. She is a most fascinating woman: in the year 1791, Mr. Hoppé took her from the theatre of Madame Montemoir, and agreed to fettle 200,000 livres upon her, if he would quit the ftage. Hoppé is a Hamburgh merchant of great fortune. After bearing him a child, he deferted her for another actress. She returned to her profeffion, and the is now one of the most shining belles of Paris. The trial is about the guardianship of the young Palmira. And the negociation between Lord Malmesbury and M. de la Croix, has not engaged half fo much intereft in the beau monde of Paris, as this important trial between Hoppé and La Lange.

M. Duveyrier was pleader for Mademoiselle La Lange. He took his topics of argument from the ancient code and the modern-he ranfacked hiftory for precedents; he appealed to the paffions, he roufed the feelings of the fplendid court (for the hall had been crowded with all the beaux and belles of Paris, from fix o'clock in the morning, and 50,000 livres had been given for a feat) in favour of this afflicted mother. He was inftructed to offer the fettlement of 200,000 livres, which had been given before the deterioration of their paper; he quoted Montefquieu for the maxim-that the children of marriage "follow the fortune of the father, but illegitimate children that of the mother,"-he made a diftinction between the guardianship and the education of children; and contended, that though the latter was common to both parents, the former was the peculiar province of the mother; in fhort, he excited as much ingenuity and eloquence on this occafion, as if the fate of Europe depended on the head of the young Palmira-but, above all others, his concluding argument is mentioned by the periodical hiftorians as too glittering to be refifted. It electrified the audience.

"M. Hoppé," faid he, “is a foreigner, but the interefting Palmira is a Frenchwoman.

"The young Citoyenne has her rights, and they are inviolable; he is too young to be a party to the

furrender.